Lake Zurich, Mundelein, Grayslake hit with snow, then bitter cold

Schools, libraries close, but no injuries are reported in the area

January 07, 2014|By Dan Waters, Tribune reporter

Towns across Chicagoland -- including Lake Zurich and Mundelein -- were blanketed by up to a foot of snow. Here, Pat Wood, left, of Crystal Lake, and his daughter Kelly Wood, 21, of Chicago, dig out a space next to Kelly's car today on the North Side. (Chris Walker, Chicago Tribune)

Sub-zero temperatures followed close to two feet of snow to start the New Year in some Lake County towns, but officials in Lake Zurich, Mundelein and Grayslake said they escaped major weather-related problems.

Despite closures throughout the week, including schools and libraries, officials from the towns said they didn't know of injuries as a result of the weather, which resulted in a total of 21 inches of snow and wind chills of as low as -45 degrees. And while all three towns dealt with minor matters such as cars spinning out and needing a tow, no roadways were closed.

"It's been kind of nice, just for the fact that with the holiday, not many people (being) on the road and school being out, it's been (quiet)," Mike Brown, Lake Zurich's public works manager said last week.

Still, extreme cold temperatures Monday didn't help public works crews trying to clear the streets.

Brown said the subzero temperatures — Lake Zurich had a low of -16, with wind chill making it feel between -30 and -45 — and heavy winds kept ice from melting and sent snow drifts flying.

"We're just out making sure the roads are at least passable," he said. "You have difficulty melting anything in these temperatures. It's just going out and pushing back drifts."

Classes in all three towns, as well as Wauconda and Island Lake, were canceled Monday and Tuesday because of the cold.

Despite a few people calling for help with car trouble or getting out of snowdrifts, none of the towns experienced much more than closures of some businesses, school buildings and libraries, officials said.

Public works crews started at 4 a.m. New Year's Eve pre-treating the roads in Lake Zurich, and worked "around the clock" through the end of the week, Brown said.

"Every able body we have is on the road," he said last week.

Public works crews in Mundelein and Grayslake also worked around the clock, with workers splitting 12-hour shifts.

"The duration of it was very long, which is pretty demanding on the crews," said Derek Soderholm, Grayslake's deputy village manager. "But it went pretty well for an event of this size."

Because the snow ended up being "light and powdery," Joe DeVito, Mundelein's deputy director of public works, said there were no issues with equipment breaking down.

With some still off work from the holidays, a few people braved the weather to enjoy the snow last week.

Lake Zurich resident Brock Atchison, along with his daughter, Hannah, was one of many to go sledding at Paulus Park in Lake Zurich.

Whereas village officials said the duration of the storm was a drain on their employees, Atchison said the length of the storm made shoveling easier.

"It didn't happen all at once," he said.

And despite the large amount of snow, there was one 12-hour window when some in the area thought not enough fell.

One Mundelein store, P.K. Bennett Jewelers, ran a promotion from Black Friday through Christmas Eve offering customers their money back if it snowed more than three inches between midnight and noon on New Year's Day.

But with the store's insurance company only certifying 1.1 inches of snow, owner Rich Bennett said he was disappointed that he wouldn't be throwing the "cash and champagne party" he was hoping to have.

With sales amounting to more than $150,000 in merchandise and custom work, 224 people participated in the promotion.

"This was a way for us to give back to our customers, and to get so close and to have so much snow, and then literally just have the rug pulled out from underneath us, it's very disappointing for us," he said.